About Me
Dr. Bukola (Oluwabukola) Salami is a nationally and internationally recognized research leader, policy advisor, and institution builder advancing equitable health systems for Black and racialized communities. She is a Registered Nurse, Full Professor, and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Black and Racialized Peoples’ Health at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, with a cross-appointment in the Faculty of Nursing.
Dr. Salami’s work operates at the intersection of research, policy, and systems leadership. Her research program focuses on how policies, institutions, and service delivery models shape health and well-being across the life course for migrants, Black communities, and other racialized populations. Rather than addressing inequities at the individual level alone, her work emphasizes system-level solutions, community partnership, and evidence-informed policy change.
She has led and contributed to a large, interdisciplinary portfolio of funded research and has published extensively in high-impact scholarly and policy-relevant outlets. Her work has directly informed the design of health services and public health interventions, including research that supported the establishment of Western Canada’s first mental health clinic for Black Canadians. Across her career, Dr. Salami has consistently translated research into practice, policy, and institutional change.
Beyond academia, Dr. Salami is deeply engaged in national research governance and science-policy leadership. She currently serves as Co-Chair of the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Advisory Committee on Science and as a Member of the Governing Council of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), contributing to research strategy, funding stewardship, and national policy direction. She also serves on advisory bodies for the CIHR Institute for Human Development, Child and Youth Health, and the Government of Canada’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Global Health.
Dr. Salami is the Founder and Director of the African Child and Youth Migration Network, an international research network bringing together scholars across Africa, Europe, and North America to advance knowledge and policy on migration, child and youth health, and equity. She also co-led the establishment of the Institute for Intersectional Studies at the University of Alberta, contributing to interdisciplinary approaches to equity-informed research and education.
In parallel, she has invested in building sustainable leadership pipelines. In 2020, she founded the Black Youth Mentorship and Leadership Program, which has supported and mentored more than 350 Black high school and undergraduate students, many of whom are now pursuing careers in health, research, and public service.
A sought-after speaker and advisor, Dr. Salami regularly engages with senior leaders, policymakers, and institutions on issues related to health equity, research strategy, public health systems, and evidence-informed decision-making. She has presented to national policy forums, including the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health, and works with organizations seeking to strengthen research impact, institutional accountability, and equity-as-excellence.
Through her research, advisory work, and leadership, Dr. Salami continues to shape national and global conversations on health equity, population health, and the structural determinants of well-being. Her work is guided by a commitment to rigor, partnership, and the design of systems that produce lasting, measurable change.